A central processing unit (CPU) performance may be thermally limited and may depend on both “external” cooling capabilities such as, for example, passive and active components (e.g. heat sink, fans, etc.) and “internal” power control mechanisms such as, for example, a software application. The power control mechanism may include a power detection mechanism and a power reduction mechanism. The power detection mechanism may detect high power conditions and may invoke the power reduction mechanism.
The power control mechanism may use power monitoring methods, which may be based on analog temperature measurements. The power monitoring methods may require the use of relatively large on-die components, such as, for example, a thermal diode which may be located at a limited number of predetermined “hot-spots”, to report the power consumption of the CPU.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.